The present invention relates to entertainment systems. In particular, the present invention is an in-room system that permits an individual to connect portable devices, such as laptop computers, digital audio players or digital audio/video players with a television.
The past two decades have seen the wide scale introduction of entertainment systems in hotels and other facilities (such as hospitals, schools, travel centers, cruise ships, etc.) to provide a variety of services to the guest through the guest room television. The services can include regular off-air television programs, pay-per-view video on demand movies, video games, Internet access, and guest services such as video shopping and video checkout.
Lodging entertainment systems include a headend which is located within the lodging facility and which is linked to guest terminals in the individual guest rooms by an MATV cable distribution system. The distribution system provides transmission of both audio/video RF signals (analog, digital or both), as well as two-way data and digital communication (typically RF) signals between the headend and guest terminals.
Typically, lodging entertainment systems are not owned by the hotel. Rather, the systems are provided by a vendor who supplies the headend equipment, and the guest room equipment (including the television, remote control, game controller, keyboard, and associated control circuitry or interface terminal which interfaces the television to the distribution system). The interface terminal may be contained in a separate set-top box, or may be on a circuit board installed within the guest room television.
Guests at lodging facilities frequently travel with electronic devices such as laptop computers, video game players, digital audio players, digital media players (like iPod, portable DVD, and MP3 players), and video recorders. In general, these guests have been unable to connect their personal electronic devices to the guest room television so they can make use of the larger screen and enhanced audio available from the guest room television. The entertainment system is usually configured to prevent guests from disconnecting or otherwise tampering with the guest room television.
Some television vendors have designed special “jack packs” to allow guests to connect personal electronic devices through the jack pack to a guest room television. An example of such a jack pack is shown in the Bambic et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0075437. In general, a jack pack is designed to work only with a specific vendor's television. Control signals are provided by the jack pack to the television, and special connections and special control inputs to the television are required to interface with the jack pack. Operation of the jack pack is entirely separate from the lodging entertainment system. Thus, neither the guest nor the lodging facility obtains any benefit from the lodging entertainment system when a jack pack device is being used.